The Echo of Hope
by angelicTactics
Summary: When a nerd and his cousin move into a neighborhood with a flighty broad and an insufferable prick, the four develop a deep bond that changes their lives forever. Some changes in larger magnitudes than others. Rated T for language.
1. September Was When I Met Him

**Disclaimer: I do not own Homestuck or any of these characters. Homestuck belongs to Andrew Hussie.**

* * *

Your name is DAVE STRIDER, and you KNEW THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.

You knew as soon as your eyes laid on the nerd that moved in to your neighborhood. The nerd's name was JOHN EGBERT. You'd never admit it, but he's always been pretty cool in his own way. But you knew IT was going to happen. What is IT, you ask? Well, to explain IT, you need to THINK BACK to the day YOU MET HIM.

* * *

It was a nice, mid-summer day in Washington. You planned to hang out with your sister Rose and drop some ill beats. The two of you sat on the front lawn of your house, just chilling. Rose reads another one of her huge grimdark books, while you don your headset and throw some sick rhymes together. That's just what you do. Despite what people say about your raps and remixes, you honestly think they are the best, and that you can actually make a living off of them eventually. Rose sometimes plays her violin for your remixes. She's really good at playing the violin, even if you're too busy pulling a Strider to actually fucking say it to the girl. You would think she would be performing with her violin, but she says she'd rather be an author. You don't understand why she would rather be an author. Music is your life, and you would never even think of turning down a music career for something else. Your dad calls you from inside the house. You groan and get your sorry ass off the ground, then head inside.

Your dad is more of a brotherly figure to you than a fatherly figure. You think it's weird, but it sure feels like it. Your mom seems more like a parental figure to you, at least in your eyes. It sure works when she isn't doing that passive-aggressive thing with Rose almost every fucking day. Is that a thing mothers usually do? It confuses you a hell of a lot, and you're glad that you just have to deal with your father's ironic Strifes every day. Rose says it's the same thing with you and your father, and you just guess that it's different for everyone.

Yet now, you are faced with the issue of an apple juice shortage. Your father informs you that the fridge only has two bottles of apple juice left. You instantly flip the fuck out, albeit internally. You _cannot_ be running out of apple juice. It is the nectar of the gods that helps you concentrate when you rap, remix, sword fight, _anything._ You thank your father for the warning, and head out the door, trying your best not to sprint to the grocery store right outside your neighborhood. On the way out, you grab your wallet and close the door, then tell Rose to get up. She glances at you, then sighs and places a bookmark in her damn book. You're getting your way here. You're doing this. You're making this happen.

You stroll by the empty house not too far from your own. It's been for sale for a while, but you noticed that the sign planted in the front lawn was missing. _Huh. Looks like somebody's moving in. _There doesn't seem to be a moving van coming anytime soon. Maybe you'll catch a glimpse of them later.

* * *

You and Rose are walking back home, holding two bags each. The four bags are filled meticulously with bottles of precious apple juice. Neither of you complain about the weight, or of the increasing soreness becoming present in your limbs.

The trip home was interrupted by the appearance of a white moving van in the driveway of the previously empty house. The various pieces of furniture ranging from couches and refrigerators to harlequin statues and portraits placed haphazardly into boxes were moved into the house, one by one. There's even the occasional rifle. _How the hell did these people get rifles into Washington?_ Rose had said something about the smell of cake already emanating from the house, even though not all of the boxes had been opened and arranged. You thought it was weird, and didn't want anything to do with those neighbors, but then again, you felt curiosity tug at you from the back of your mind. You _guess_ you could go take a look, but you'd rather not make the neighbors think you were fucking desperate for friends or some shit like that. Rose notices your hesitation and flashes that shit-eating grin she always has on. "I will go and scout the situation for you, _David_," she says, still grinning. She then gives you the other two bags of apple juice and does her best Lass Scramble. You make a mental note to make her pay for that later. You hate it when people call you David. You head home, with four bags of apple juice in your arms.

* * *

A short 15 minutes later, your sister returns with a report. The new neighbors are the Egberts, and consist of a family of a father, son, and cousin. However, the cousin goes by the surname of Harley. The house is already slowly being filled with the aroma of baked goods such as brownies, cookies, and cakes. The son seems to dislike them, while the cousin enjoys them.

You shrug a bit, thinking that they seem like a zany family, but you decide to go and introduce yourself to the Egberts too. _What's with the name Egbert, anyways?_

* * *

The Egbert residence is a two-floored house. A tree is right in the house's front lawn, sharing the space with a mailbox. A car and moving van lies in the driveway, though there is no more activity concerning the moving van. You smell the aroma of baked goods yet again and wonder if you'll ever get used to this family. Then again, it doesn't hurt to try. Hell, maybe you'd even be one of those friends that spend every day at their friends' house. You finally bring yourself to go and ring the doorbell. After a while, a kid that looks around the same age as you answers the door.

His eyes light up in excitement and delight. _Doesn't seem like he gets that many visitors. Then again, I can't blame him. Kid just moved in._ Rose smiles and introduces herself again. She then looks at you expectantly, as if to say, "_Go on, introduce yourself, you insufferable prick!_" You then internally groan, but introduce yourself as well. You even flash an ironic smile, because why the fuck not. First impressions are everything.

The dorky teen smiled a shaky, nervous smile, and introduced himself, still holding a box of rolled up posters. His name is John Egbert. _Has a nice ring to it._ "Looks like we're going to be neighbors," John says.

You stare at him through your shades, trying not to smile and hug the kid. His nerves seemed to make him seem more precious than he actually was. You inspect him thoroughly, taking note of his sapphire eyes, which are behind a pair of thick, square-framed glasses. They reflect light off of the boy's eyes like the ocean. His hair is black and tossed this way and that. Your eyes then direct themselves to his shirt, which has a green ghost slime, from that one movie, Ghostbusters. He also wore a pair of shorts, which complemented his shirt nicely. His skin was pale, showing that he didn't go outside often. For some reason, he had a slightly frail look to him, as if he was fighting off a flu or something. You wonder about that, but don't want to pry about it.

_Holy fuck, this kid is adorable._

You nod stoically, your eyes drawn to his posters. "You like posters?" You ask, nonchalantly. His face brightens up again, and he fumbles with the box slightly. "Yes!" He responds, smiling. "I have a few from my favorite movies, but I haven't hung them up yet. It's taking a long time to unpack, and everything. Not to mention Jade keeps leaving her rifles everywhere, and that her dog keeps taking things and placing them in other places." "Your sister leaves rifles everywhere? Is that even legal? And you guys have a dog?" You reply, a slight hint of disbelief in your voice. "No, she's not my sister. Though people always say we look like we are. She's actually my cousin. She also has this thing with rifles, and I'm not sure why or how she has so many. We have a dog, but it's more of Jade's dog. His name is Becquerel," John says. _Oh, right. Rose said he had a cousin. Fuck. How did I forget that? Wait, she didn't say they had a dog. Huh. _"Jade's dog likes to chase me around for some reason. It really irritates me, but Jade always says he's such a lazy dog. If that's what he's like when he's lazy, I'm scared to know what he's like when he's hyper," John said with a shudder.

You were about to sympathize with John about his predicament, but were interrupted by the low buzzing of your smartphone, left on vibrate. You mutter to yourself and check your phone. Your father sent you a few texts, saying to come home for dinner. _Was it that late already? _You scratch your head slightly, then reply. You then turn back to Rose and John, then hand your phone over to Rose. She nods after reading, then returns it to you.

"John, it was a pleasure meeting you. We apologize, but we have to head home for dinner. Perhaps we may see each other soon?" Rose asks. John nods happily. "Actually, we're going to have a movie night tomorrow! It was a normal thing we did back where we lived. Would you guys like to come?"

John and Rose glance at you expectantly. You stare at the both of them from the safety of your shades, thinking about the offer. You then shrug. "I don't see why not."

* * *

**Hello again, Homestuck fandom! It's been quite a while. I'm sure that people were wondering about SBURB Omega, but it's been put on hiatus for now. I'm really sorry about that! ****As for this story, I've been writing solo. This will hopefully have up to 20 chapters, but no promises. I will do my best to give you all something in between SBURB Omega updates! **

**See you guys later! ~angelicTactics**


	2. The House of Shitty Movies and Popcorn

Your name is DAVE STRIDER, and you're WAITING FOR YOUR SISTER to get off her lazy ass so the two of you can leave for the EGBERT-HARLEY HOUSEHOLD.

You tap your foot impatiently and check your bag again. You can't forget anything, but then again, Egbert never really specified what to bring. You decided to bring a few of your favorite movies, some bags of unpopped popcorn, your phone charger, and some video games. You're not sure if Egbert has any game systems, but you guess you'll find out eventually. You shout at Rose to hurry up, and are met with a book to your face. You rub your nose while cursing softly under your breath, then sit on the couch, next to that thing Rose calls the "Eldritch Princess". _Looks like the flighty broad is going to take even longer. God, how much fucking stuff does she even have to grab?_ You grumble and roll your eyes. You wonder what the movie night's going to be like. You're not exactly aware of the new neighbors' movie tastes, and you shudder at the thought of being forced to watch shitty movies all night. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all. You check the time. 3:53 p.m. John said to head over to his house at around 4. You sigh and shout at your sister again. This time, your sister comes down the stairs with a bag in her right hand.

"God damn it, Rose. How much of your shit are you bringing?"

"Not as much as you, David," she replies, grinning. She always knew how to piss you off.

"Well, whatever. Let's get going before Egbert thinks we got kidnapped or something."

"After you."

* * *

It was about 4:05 by the time you got to John's house. You ring the doorbell and wince when you hear a loud thump from inside the house, followed by a muffled shout. _That kid must be really excited. Holy shit._ Not too long after, you are greeted with a pair of sharp emerald eyes behind circular glasses.

You flinch as a rifle comes into view. "Jade, wait! That's Dave and Rose, the ones I told you about!" John cries from behind the pair of green eyes. The eyes blink and back up, letting you see more of the terrifying person. It's a girl with long black hair, wearing a matching shirt and skirt. The shirt has a logo of a dog head on it.

The girl smiles. "Oh, okay! So then I don't need to sic Bec on them, right?" You feel the color drain from your face. _DEAR GOD, PLEASE NO. NOT THE DOG. _"Of course not, Jade! Now back up a little more. I think you're scaring Dave," John murmurs.

You feel the color return to your face as Rose gives you _that_ look. You glare at her from behind your shades, then look at John. He has a bruise on his face. _Jesus Christ, he really WAS excited._

"What happened to you, Egdork?" you ask, trying to change the topic. John gasps lightly, then touches his face. "O-Oh. I fell down earlier. I tried to get to the door," he says, blushing. "Well, let's go start the movie!

* * *

It is now 5:57 p.m. You have been watching movie after movie with John and Jade. The selection ranged from harmless Disney movies to movies rated R that will probably give you nightmares. Rose and Jade would talk about each movie, while you'd make quips about almost everything in the movie you were watching. John would just be laughing his ass off trying to counter your ironic remarks. It would go back and forth until the both of you ran out of things to say. You would then sigh and throw popcorn at John or Rose. Not that "Jade" girl. She terrifies the shit out of you. Jade DID apologize for earlier, though. She must've felt bad about scaring you. You just shrugged and redirected your attention to National Treasure, saying it was no big deal.

* * *

It is now 8:36 p.m. Where the hell did today go? You're about to pack up your shit and leave when Jade says that you and Rose can sleep over, if you want. You're about to turn her down, but Rose accepts the offer and gives you a look. Again. You text your parents to tell them your whereabouts. They allow you to stay the night. Looks like you're spending the night at the Egbert-Harley household.

* * *

It is now 9:42 p.m. The four of you are laying down in a circle in John's room. He had refused to sleep in a bed if you and Rose were sleeping on the floor, and Jade had insisted on sleeping in the same room as the three of you. You start talking about the most random things, like movies, games, books, and even the goddamn apocalypse. John and Jade are active in the conversation, while Rose adds a few comments here and there. It's interesting. Jade prefers the Tomb Raider movies, while John prefers those shitty Nicolas Cage movies. Rose adds that she enjoys her "grimdark" horror movies. Those happened to be the rated R ones you mentioned earlier. The group seems to wait expectantly for you to answer, but you don't say anything. You're not very sure about your taste in movies.

* * *

It is now 10:11 p.m. You can't believe that the four of you have begun talking about each others' lives. You're not exactly sure of what to do, but go along with it anyways.

Rose finishes her life story after a while. She mentions her love of knitting and the violin, her daily passive-aggressive bouts with her mom, and how much of a pain in the ass it is to live with you. It's nothing new to you, but it's nice to have a little reminder. You smirk.

You go next, mostly talking about your family, middle school experience, and your love of music. You were thinking of joining the marching band's drumline. You'd be killer at quads. At least, you like to think so. You go on until you decide you've tortured the group enough. They don't need to know about your _entire_ life, now.

Jade goes next. She explains about how she lived on an island with her grandpa, Jake, and her dog, Becquerel. She had a great life until her grandfather passed away. Since John's father knew "Jake", he decided to take Jade in. She took everything she wanted to take, including her possibly illegal amount of rifles. Then she left her island home behind.

John decides to wrap up the "life story" thing. He shuffles in the pile of blankets and pillows on the floor, then sighs. You glance up at him, almost expectantly.

"Where to start...well...I was diagnosed with congenital heart disease at birth," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. You see Rose's face go pale. "Then you have been afflicted with ranges of cardiac defects since you were a child. _Atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, _and _pulmonary stenosis_," she mutters. You see that John's face grew solemn as he nods. Rose notices your expression, then answers your unsaid inquiry. "It means he has miscommunication between his atriums, holes in the muscle that separates the ventricles, and narrow valves," she states, trying to make it easy for you to understand. "It can affect even adult patients. The words 'congenital heart disease' refers to disorders of the heart present at birth."

_So that's it. _You had been wondering about John. He did seem like he was fighting off a fever. Now you know why. The poor kid. You can't help but pity him.

John doesn't say much else. He talks about middle school, then mentions how Jade was the reason they moved to Washington in the first place. You guess that the Egberts' old house wasn't big enough to house two children, a dog, a father, and lord knows how many rifles. John then quiets down once more.

The silence covers everyone like a freezing gust of wind until Mr. Egbert comes in and turns the lights out. You exchange "good nights" and "sweet dreams", then drift off. John isn't leaving your thoughts. It doesn't seem like he will anytime soon.

Your name is DAVE STRIDER, and you think you might have to keep an eye on this kid. For his sake, and for your own.

* * *

**Hello again, my dears~ Sorry for the inactivity. School has started once again for me. I hope you all have been well.**

**We're starting to pick up at this chapter. I really want to know what you all think of the story so far. Please tell me your thoughts!**

**DISCLAIMER! I do not own Homestuck, or any of its characters! I simply own the concept of this story. All characters and references belong (mostly) to Andrew Hussie. **


	3. The Note Education Plays

Your name is DAVE LALONDE STRIDER, and you are not able to get out of your pathetic excuse of a bed to save your life. It is the day that the personal hell named "public education" at Alterniearth High School starts yet again. Despite that, you can't help but feel excited.

* * *

It has been two weeks since the fated sleepover. You and Rose hang out with John and Jade on a daily basis. The whole "life story" game ended up bonding the four of you exponentially. It drove the group to see each other more often, making the two last weeks of summer one of the best you've experienced. It was yesterday when you heard that John and Jade were going to your school. You tried your best not to look excited.

* * *

Your drag yourself out of bed, not even bothering to grab your shades. _It's too early in the morning for this shit_, you think.

You stroll into the kitchen and open the fridge, searching for your beloved apple juice. You snag a bottle enthusiastically. This stuff always helps you wake up in the mornings. It helps your entire family. It is the very substance that holds your family together, besides your mom's alcohol. Speaking of your family, here comes Rose.

"Morning, Dave," your sister mumbles. She shuffles into the kitchen and grabs a bottle of apple juice as well. Her blonde hair is in disarray with a few strands sticking out. Yours probably looks the same.

"Morning," you respond, leaning against the counter. You scratch at your scarlet eyes after taking a swig of your AJ.

"I'm guessing you slept well?" Rose asks, scratching her head slightly.

"If you can even call 4 fucking hours of shuteye sleep, then yes, I slept well," you say with a smirk on your drowsy, shadeless face. You were never able to sleep the night before school started again. Whether it was summer break or winter break, the sleepless prelude plays the bitter notes of desolation that education plays. You already feel exhausted, knowing that you're going to have to spend many more nights like these. If middle school was exhausting, you are certain that freshman year is going to kill you.

Rose smiles and takes a sip of her apple juice. "Are you ready? We leave in 25 minutes. Father said he's driving us."

"Yeah, yeah. I get it, you want me to get off my lazy ass. Well, let's get going," you mutter, downing the rest of the juice. "John and Jade are probably waiting for us there."

* * *

You yawn. It's about thirteen minutes before school starts, and you are prepared for the sheer amount of syllabi that comes with the first day. You once again glance at your smartphone, waiting for John and Jade to show up. They must really be running late. You scratch the back of your head slightly, then sift through your backpack to find your schedule. You groan. You have zero period tomorrow. You guess that's what you were asking for. You signed up for marching band, after all. (You even spent the past week going to band camp, but that's a story for another time.) Band is split into two periods. Zero and third. For first, you have Health (with Ms. Mendicant). You have Advanced English One (with Mr. Keeper) for second period. You then have World Geography (with Mr. Vagabond), Geometry (with Mr. Renegade), then Biology (with Doctor Scratch). You heard rumors that your Biology teacher monotones and that people sleep in his class all the time. If that's the case, you're going to have a really big problem.

You glance over Rose's shoulder to see her schedule. She has English and Biology with you. You hear her sigh and smirk. The both of you know that it means you'll be copying her homework. It's going to be easy for you then, huh?

* * *

Your name is ROSE LALONDE STRIDER, and you refuse to let your brother copy your homework without a hefty price to pay. You see your brother taking a glance at your schedule as you examine it, and see him smirk. You raise a questioning eyebrow and he points to sixth period on his own schedule.

_Course 413-Biology, Doctor Scratch. Room 612. _Same class, same room, same teacher.

Well, this is going to be quite interesting. You've heard rumors from David's band friends that Doctor Scratch is a snarky, monotone, and long-winded teacher. He shows no mercy to those who drag behind in his class. You honestly think that he sounds delightful, but judging from David's reaction, he probably is a force to be reckoned with. It brings the slightest joy, knowing there will probably be a teacher on the same level as you. You're going to be quite "hyped up", as Dave would say, for sixth period. Though, you can't help but sigh a bit. David is going to copy off your homework, and you don't feel like making your mother go through the process of unhexing him. The two of you know that it is the way of things. He copies, you hex him, and your poor mother has to clean up the mess. You can't help but feel like it's another round of your Passive-Aggressive bouts with your mom. It would make a bit of sense.

* * *

Your name is JOHN EGBERT, and you're very excited for your first day of school, even if you're running late! You're practically bouncing in the car seat by now.

Jade ended up holding up the trip to the school since she fell asleep due to her random bouts of narcolepsy. Despite your best efforts to wake her up, she ended up sleeping for a majority of the trip to school. You hope she doesn't have one of these episodes happen during P.E. or class. She would definitely get into trouble.

You glance at Jade, who's yawning while trying to get feeling back into her face. You try not to think about what would happen if she was in danger when she got her bouts of narcolepsy. _Yeesh, get these thoughts out of my head. It's my first day of school! I should be thinking of how to tell my teachers about...that._

You sigh and glance out the window. Your counselor, Miss Dolorosa, said that she would ensure that you got nowhere near P.E., and that you're a strong kid. She made you feel pretty welcome.

You just hope Miss Dolorosa told your teachers about your condition. How were you going to tell them about it? You can't just walk up to their desk and say, "Hello, I'm John Egbert and I have congenital heart disease." You mope, watching the clear blue sky. What you wouldn't give to be healthy like Dave, Rose, and Jade. They don't deal with the struggle of physical weakness, low stamina, light-headedness, and worst of all, the nights in the hospital. The smells alone make you want to run away and never come back, but you're still waiting for a transplant. You're surprised that there hasn't been a match yet. You really wish there was one, so that way you could do the same things your friends and family could do. Maybe you could even join Dave and Jade in marching band. Wouldn't that be fun?

* * *

Your name is JADE HARLEY, and you are trying your best to stay awake. At times you curse your narcolepsy, but you remind yourself that others have things hard for them. You yawn, then glance over at one of the mentioned unfortunate ones. You can't help but feel sorry for John. He has been through quite a lot, now that you think about it. Although John is a great kid, he never really got to play outside and feel the sun on his skin for long periods of time like you did. When you lived with your grandfather and Bec on the island, you would sometimes spend hours or even days away from home.

You loved spending time in the outdoors. Whether it was in the mountains, by the frog temple, in your garden, or just running around with Bec on the plains, you had fun and made do without a lot of human contact. You smile to yourself. The memories of your grandfather and life on the island are making you nostalgic. It wasn't even that long ago. You still can't believe that old geezer is gone, though. He sure lived a long life.

You swing your legs a bit, your mind not quite back in the car seat. You miss your garden back on the island. Perhaps if you asked Mr. Egbert, he would let you start a garden in his backyard. Maybe those pumpkins wouldn't disappear to god knows where this time?

* * *

Your name is DAVID ELIZABETH LALONDE STRIDER, and you can't keep your eyes open. At all. You are in the midst of third period.

Drumline.

It shouldn't be a problem to stay awake, _right_?

Wrong.

You're currently waiting for your band director, Mr. Slick, to get class started. Yes, you've been working your ass off today, and yes, you have your quads out and ready to go, but no, the stab-happy man has taken 10 minutes and counting to get a new kid acquainted. Said new kid didn't come to band camp, and he's getting chewed out by Slick. You kinda feel sorry for the sucker.

You set down your quads onto the drum stand, along with your drumsticks, and flop unceremoniously onto the carpet floor. Something about band rooms make you very comfortable. The room always has a beautiful cacophony of music instruments being practiced on. It's warm, welcoming, smells like food, and is where you can lay down your sick beats without feeling judged. In fact, some new friends of yours tend to go along with your raps. You sigh happily as you remember the events of band camp. Ah yes, the afternoons of sunscreen, sweat, reeds, push-ups, sticks, and mouthpieces. The nights of jackets, death threats, knives being thrown (and thankfully missing), whistle blares, and laps around the track. The memories let you drift into a slumber, blissfully unaware of the rude awakening you'll receive.

You nap for a good five minutes before Slick interrupts by slamming the door to his office closed and driving a shiv down the whiteboard. He give the entire room an angry glare, and the silence he desires comes before the knife makes it halfway down the board. He removes the weapon from the board and puts it away. Slick puts his hands inside his pockets, leaning against the wall.

"Alright, you lazy sacks of shit! We have a new band member!" He shouts.

Your fellow percussion members all take to whispering amongst each other, speculating about who would take the new band kid. Would it be Pit? Would it be the Drumline? Would it be Auxiliary? You watch them whisper for a few seconds longer, then quiet down again as their band director glared down upon them.  
"Now, if you would _let me finish_, the new kid goes to the Pit," Slick continues. He opens the door to his office before the Pit members could even begin to celebrate, and pulls out a familiar movie-loving dork trying to hold on to the keyboard equipment.

"John?" You say, trying not to let your eyes pop out of their sockets.

"Hey Dave," John smiles. His hand almost slips on the keyboard. "I can't march, but I can play the piano! Since Jade thought it would be a good idea, she recommended me to Mr. Slick."

"Yep. That girl has some spunk," Slick muttered.

"Yeah, she sure is something," you say, remembering the rifle incident.

"Anyways! You guys are gonna help Johnny boy here get settled! Get off your sorry asses and get to it, then arrange yourselves! You call this a block? A couple of drunk monkeys could do better than you idiots!"

You ignore your director, picking up the keyboard and its stand. You can't help but smile at John as he looks over the sheet music for this year's field show. What did Slick call it again? Showtime? Shit, you can't remember. Everyone seems to call it something else. You suppose you'll ask one of the upperclassmen later.

"Well, that's that. Your keyboard is set up, Egderp," you say, smirking a bit and admiring your work. It's not that hard to set up a keyboard.  
John looks up from the music and smiles, his buck teeth showing. "Thanks, Dave! Hey, you wouldn't mind if I borrowed your phone to google this music, would you? I'd like to listen to it a few times before I try it."

You shrug and hand him your smartphone and a pair of earbuds. John takes them gratefully and plugs them in, already connecting to the school's wifi. You watch him close his eyes after a while, his feet tapping along with the music's tempo. You can't help but smile. Music does the exact same thing to you. He listens to part 1 of the field show a few times, then hands you the earbuds and phone back.

He thanks you and grins, then flinches once Slick starts blaring the metronome. You cover your ears for the first few beats, then ease yourself into the cacophonous ticks. You give John a thumbs-up, then head to your position in the drumline block.

Slick raises his hands and all eyes are on him. The only noise you hear is the slight shuffle of mallets and drumsticks, and the beat of the metronome. This goes on for a while, then Slick begins to conduct.

_One._

_Two._

_One, two, three, four._

* * *

**Disclaimer! I do not own Homestuck or its characters! I simply own the concept of this story! All characters and references mostly belong to Andrew Hussie!**

**...Now that that's out of the way, hello again, my friends! I sincerely apologize for the sheer lack of updates recently. I have been working on this chapter on and off, but now I've had the chance to work on it. **

**Also, the marching band that Alterniearth High School has is based off of the Marchingstuck AU. I really like that AU, given that I'm a band kid. C: Their field show is called "Showtime", and has Showtime, Showtime (Strife Version), Candles and Clockwork, and Aggrieve. I found a written version of it on Musescore, if anyone would like to search for it. **

**...Phew! I'm glad I got to write this. Let's just hope I can write another chapter before this week ends! Let me know what you thought of this chapter, please! I am always looking to improve! **

**See you next time!  
~angelicTactics**


End file.
